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Hi jreece. How much are you paying per pound. I usually move about 300 pounds of relatively pure propolis a season. If you could match cc pollens price, I would be interested in doing business with you. Let me know by reposting here so everyone can see your price.

I just filter warm Alchohol through it to remove the wax. then I put the Propolis in a jar about half full. Then pour in some Denatured Alchohol up to about 2/3rds full and cap it. Wait a week or two until the Alchohol is dark black (the alchohol dissolves the Propolis). then filter the alchohol into an evaporating pan wait until the alchohol evaporates and you have pure propolis resin. This works well for what I need it for. I wouldn't try to eat any of it refined this way though. lol

OK......what is the recipe for varnish from propolis? Would it not be nice to make a hive out of oak and varnish it with a propolis varnish and have for around the garden? I think I will do that for next year..........make it this winter and have it special for next year........what do you think?

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You have to stop and smell the roses......but please watch out for my bees.

You can add Propolis to just about any varnish. The propolis will only make the varnish softer and more flexible(which is why it's good for a violin)
I make my own varnish which I would not recommend anyone do without the proper equipment, it requires heating very flamable substances that are very prone to having exothermic reactions.

The initial coating of a violin(ground coat)has been done with a product made with pure propolis for 100's of years. I read that Michelangelo? used propolis soap to smooth out his canvas. Which is what I suspect the early violin makers used it for as well( to hide the imperfections and tool marks). Propolis soap when applied is bright yellow and very thick so it fills any marks, however once varnished it vanishes and makes the grain stand out. I think the reason so many 17th and 18th century violins are still arround are due to the propolis ground coat.
The proccess to make the propolis soap requires a bit of chemistry knowlege and some expensive chemicals. It really wouldn't be practicle to make for only one or two projects.

Although anyone that would like some of this ground coat can email me. I will be happy to swap you for raw propolis.

Hi JR- Thanks for answering my question about how to purify the propolis- You said you filtered warm alcohol through it to remove the wax- Do you warm the alcohol enough to melt the wax? I wasn't aware that wax was very soluble in alcohol (but then I haven't actually tried to dissolve wax in alcohol either... I have this can 1/2 full of "stuff" containing bits of latex paint, dirt, bee parts, wax, honey, and who knowa whAT else. I tried dissolving it in denatured alcohol and I get a redish brown liquid, but there is still a LOT of sediment in there. What do you filter it through?

Unless you warm the alchohol it wont disolve the wax. You could just use water for this as well but I think the alchohol works better.
If you want to do it quick. while in the alchohol break up all the chunks with a knife or whatever you can smuggle outta the house. after a few days it should turn pretty black.

Then filter it through a coffee filter. not the paper kind, you have to get the metal permanent type. I get them at Walmart. The reason I use the metal is that it has bigger openings and will allow the partially disolved propolis through but not all the junk. Then you have a new jar with all the liquid and small granules(gold/brown color settled at the bottom. pour this in a evaporating dish. anything glass or enamel that is big and shallow. more surface area the better. Place it somewhere so It gets sun for warmth and wait.
I then add more alcohol to the first jar and let set for a few more days to get any leftovers. should be just full of junk after a couple tries though.

Once it starts to get thick like molasses pour in some water and it will turn back into chunks of propolis(less all the junk).
Or wait until it turns to a resin. Could take a month or so for this.

Because of its natural antibiotic properties, (also known as "Russian penicillan" (sp?)), I use it as an occasional dietary supplement. To prepare it, I simply collect as clean a sample from the hives as possible, freeze it and after frozen, put it in the food processor for a short time. It very quickly turns to a powder which is then stored in the freezer until used. Just a suggestion for a quick preparation.